The boxing icons are set to collide in one in all boxing’s impossible spectacles. The former heavyweight champion and the unbeaten defensive maestro have agreed to an exhibition bout scheduled for early 2026, a matchup already fueling intense debate.

Tyson, 59, isn’t any stranger to the exhibition circuit however enters this bout after an uneven exhibiting in opposition to Jake Paul earlier this 12 months — a efficiency he admits he barely remembers. Despite his decline, Tyson’s dimension and punching energy stay components. Mayweather, 48, retired undefeated at 50-0 and constructed his profession on protection and precision, taking far much less punishment than Tyson over three many years within the ring.

Tyson acknowledged his personal shock at Mayweather’s resolution. “I thought, ‘No way this happens,’ but Floyd said yes,” Tyson mentioned. “This fight is something neither the world nor I thought would or could happen. Boxing has entered a new era of the unpredictable — and this fight is as unpredictable as it gets. I still can’t believe Floyd wants to really do this. It’s going to be detrimental to his health, but he wants to do it, so it’s signed and it’s happening.”

Mayweather, who has turned exhibition bouts right into a profitable second act since his 2017 retirement, shrugged off issues. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and there hasn’t been a single fighter that can tarnish my legacy,” Mayweather mentioned. “If I’m going to do something, it’s going to be big and it’s going to be legendary. I’m the best in the business of boxing. This exhibition will give the fans what they want.”

Promoters are anticipated to announce the official date and ruleset within the coming weeks. Until then, anticipation continues to construct as two icons put together to share the ring in a conflict extra about spectacle than legacy.